Intonation patterns in older children with cerebral palsy before and after speech intervention

Abstract

Purpose: This paper examined the production of intonation patterns in children with developmental dysarthria associated with cerebral palsy (CP) prior to and after speech intervention focussing on respiration and phonation. The study further sought to establish whether intonation performance might be related to changes in speech intelligibility.

Method: Intonation patterns were examined using connected speech samples of 15 older children with moderate to severe developmental dysarthria due to CP (9 females; age range: 11–18). Recordings were made prior to and after speech intervention based on a systems approach. Analyses are focussed on the use of intonation patterns, pitch accentuation and phrasing.

Result: Group analyses showed a significant increase in the use of rising intonation patterns after intervention. There were also some indications that this increase might have been related to gains in speech intelligibility for some of the children. No changes were observed regarding pitch accentuation and phrasing following intervention.

Conclusion: The findings highlight that changes can occur in the use of intonation patterns in children with dysarthria and CP following speech systems intervention. It is hypothesised that the emergence of the rising pattern in some of the children’s intonational inventories possibly reflected improved breath support and control of laryngeal muscles.

Keywords:

• Intonation
• cerebral palsy
• dysarthria
• treatment

Note

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by a British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship awarded to the first author (PF120045). The speech data were collected as part of an intervention study funded by Cerebra, UK.

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article.

Notes

1. Tyneside English is the regional dialect spoken in the area, particularly in Newcastle upon Tyne and in the conurbation. An estimated 800 000 people speak this variety of British English (Watt & Allen, 2003). It can be considered one of the more distinctive accents in the United Kingdom with phonological, phonetic and lexical features specific to this accent. In terms of intonation, Tyneside English can be characterised by a rise at the end of statements, which is typical of northern varieties of British and Irish English.